Introducing Philosophy for Canadians: A Text with Integrated Readings, Canadian Edition

Paperback | March 22, 2011

Adapted from Robert C. Solomon's internationally successful Introducing Philosophy, this fully revised Canadian edition engages students with the core philosophical problems that have shaped human thought throughout history. Each chapter focuses on a central topic, combining primary-sourcereadings with comprehensive analysis to illuminate essential questions about reality, religion, knowledge, mind-body relationships, freedom, ethics, and justice. Arguing that philosophical approaches are accessible and useful to everyone, the authors examine perspectives not only from Western andnon-Western philosophers, but also from leading scientists, psychologists, literary figures, politicians, and social commentators. With readings that range from the oldest known fragments to excerpts from contemporary texts, Introducing Philosophy for Canadians shows that philosophy is as vitaltoday as it was in ancient times.

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Adapted from Robert C. Solomon's internationally successful Introducing Philosophy, this fully revised Canadian edition engages students with the core philosophical problems that have shaped human thought throughout history. Each chapter focuses on a central topic, combining primary-sourcereadings with comprehensive analysis to illumin...

Robert C. Solomon (deceased) was Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Business and Philosophy and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author or editor of more than forty books, including The Little Philosophy Book (2007), True to Our Feelings (2006),
Honest Work (2006), The Joy of Philosophy (...

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Table of Contents

PART ONE: BEGINNING PHILOSOPHYIntroduction: Starting With SocratesA. SocratesAristophanes, from The CloudsPlato, from The ApologyPlato, from The CritoPlato, from The PhaedoPlato, from The RepublicB. Making Sense of SocratesPlato, from The ApologyPlato, from The Meno (New)Plato, from The Theaetetus (New)Plato, from The Symposium (New)Paul Gooch, from Reflections on Jesus and Socrates (New)Karl Popper, from The Open Society and Its EnemiesSoren Kierkegaard, from The Sickness unto DeathC. What Is Philosophy?Plato, from The ApologyKarl Jaspers, from 'The "Axial Period"'Lao-zi, from Dao De JingD. A Modern Approach to PhilosophyRene Descartes from Discourse on MethodBertrand Russell from The Problems of PhilosophyMary Midgley from Utopias, Dolphins, and ComputersE. Becoming a PhilosopherGeorge Grant from 'What Is Philosophy?' (Cdn) (New)Francis Sparshott, from 'Philosopher' (poem) (Cdn) (New)Simone Weil from First and Last Notebooks (New)George Grant from 'What Is Philosophy?' (Cdn) (New)James Frederick Ferrier from Institutes of Metaphysic (New)F. A Brief Introduction to LogicPART TWO: THE WORLD AND BEYOND1. RealityA. The Way the World Really IsB. The First Greek PhilosophersAristotle, from MetaphysicsParmenides, from FragmentsC. Ultimate Reality in the East: India, Persia, and ChinaFrom the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28)From the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (4.3.32)From the IsaUpanishad (4-6)From the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (5.1.1)From the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (3.7.3-23)From the Chandogya Upanishads (6.11)From the Kath Upanishad (1.25-27, 2.11-12, and 2.20-23)From the Zend-AvestaConfucius, from The AnalectsLao-zi, from Dao De JingBuddha, from 'Fire Sermon'D. Two Kinds of Metaphysics: Plato and AristotlePlato, from The SymposiumPlato, from The RepublicPlato, from The MenoAristotle, from MetaphysicAristotle, from PhysicsAristotle, from MetaphysicsE. Modern MetaphysicsRene Descartes, on SubstanceRene Descartes, from 'Meditation VI'Benedictus de Spinoza, from EthicsGottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, from Monadology2. ReligionA. What Is Religion?John Wisdom, from 'Gods'Albert Einstein, on the Design of the UniverseKeiji Nishitani, from 'What Is Religion?'Swami Vivekananda, from 'Maya and Illusion' (New)Bernard Lonergan, from Method in Theology (Cdn) (New)Maimonides, from The Guide for the Perplexed (New)B. The Western ReligionsC. Proving God: The Ontological ArgumentSt Anselm, on the Ontological ArgumentRene Descartes, on the Ontological ArgumentImmanuel Kant, Against the Ontological ArgumentCharles Hartshorne, on the Ontological ArgumentD. Proving God: The Cosmological ArgumentSt Thomas Aquinas, on the Cosmological ArgumentSamuel Clarke, from A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God (New)Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, from Monadology (New)Samuel Clarke, from A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God (New)E. Proving God: The Teleological ArgumentWilliam Paley, from Natural Theology (New)St John Damascene, from An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox FaithSt Thomas Aquinas, on the 'Fifth Way' (New)David Hume, on an Imperfect UniverseRichard Dawkins, from The Blind Watchmaker (New)Paul Davies, from The Mind of GodCory Juhl, on the 'Fine-Tuning' ArgumentF. Mystical Experience and GodWilliam James, from The Varieties of Religious Experience (New)Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, from An Idealist View Of Life (New)Mohammad al-Ghazali, from The Deliverance from ErrorPlotinus, from The Enneads (New)William James, from The Varieties of Religious Experience (New)Phillip Wiebe (Trinity Western University), 'Religious Experience and Religious Belief' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)G. Religion and Practical ReasonImmanuel Kant, on God and MoralityWilliam James, from 'The Will to Believe'H. God and EvilSt Augustine, from ConfessionsFrom The BhagavadgitaI. A Hidden God?John Schellenberg (Mount St. Vincent University), 'Would a Loving God Hide from Anyone? Assembling and Assessing the Hiddenness Argument for Atheism' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)Blaise Pascal, from Pensees (New)Emil Fackenheim, from 'On the Eclipse of God' (Cdn) (New)Isaac Bashevis Singer, from 'Joy' (New)J. Beyond Reason: Faith and IrrationalitySoren Kierkegaard, on Subjective TruthPaul Tillich, on the Ultimate ConcernK. Doubts about ReligionFyodor Dostoyevski, from The Brothers KaramazovKarl Marx, from Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of RightFriedrich Nietzsche, from Beyond Good and EvilFriedrich Nietzsche, from The AntichristFriedrich Nietzsche, from The Gay ScienceSigmund Freud, from The Future of an Illusion3. KnowledgeBertrand Russell, from The Problems of PhilosophyPlato, from TheaetetusA. The Rationalist's Confidence: DescartesRene Descartes, from 'Meditation I'Barry Stroud, from The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism (Cdn) (New)Rene Descartes, from 'Meditation I'Rene Descartes, from 'Meditation II'ene Descartes, from 'Meditation VI'B. Innate Ideas Concerning Human Understanding: John LockeJohn Locke, from An Essay Concerning Human UnderstandingGottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, from New Essays on Human UnderstandingC. The Empiricist Theory of KnowledgeJohn Locke, from An Essay Concerning Human UnderstandingD. Common Sense Undone: Bishop George BerkeleyBishop George Berkeley, from Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human KnowledgeJorge Luis Borges, 'Things' (New)E. The Congenial Skeptic: David HumeDavid Hume, from A Treatise of Human NatureDavid Hume, from An Enquiry Concerning Human UnderstandingF. Common Sense Defended: Thomas Reid and G.E. MooreThomas Reid, from Essays on The Intellectual Powers of Man (New)Thomas Reid, from An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (New)Thomas Reid, from An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (New)G.E. Moore, from Some Main Problems of Philosophy (NEW)G. Immanuel Kant's RevolutionImmanuel Kant, from The Critique of Pure ReasonImmanuel Kant, from Prolegomena to Any Future MetaphysicsH. The Battle in Europe after Kant: Relativism and AbsolutismG.W.F. Hegel, from The Phenomenology of SpiritG.W.F. Hegel, from Reason in HistoryArthur Schopenhauer, from The World as Will and RepresentationFriedrich Nietzsche, on TruthI. PhenomenologyEdmund Husserl, from 'Philosophy as Rigorous Science'Edmund Husserl, from The 1929 Paris LecturesJohn Russon (University of Guelph), from Human Experience (Cdn) (New)J. Hermeneutics and Pragmatism: Relativism ReconsideredRichard Rorty, from 'Solidarity or Objectivity?'Cheryl Misak (University of Toronto), from Truth, Politics, Morality (Cdn) (New)K. The Nature of Truth: Three TheoriesJames O. Young (University of Victoria), 'Could Truth Be Coherence with a System of Beliefs?' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)Mark Migotti (University of Calgary), 'Pragmatist Theories of Truth' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)L. Feminist EpistemologyElizabeth Grosz, on Feminist KnowledgeLorraine Code (York University, Emerita), from 'Is the Sex of the Knower Epistemologically Significant?' (Cdn) (New)Summary and ConclusionReview QuestionsKey TermsFurther ReadingPART THREE: KNOW THYSELF4. Mind and BodyA. What Is Consciousness?Rene Descartes, from 'Meditation VI'Rene Descartes, from 'Meditation III'B. The Problem of DualismRene Descartes, from 'The Passions of the Soul'C. The Rejection of DualismGilbert Ryle, from The Concept of MindJ.J.C. Smart, from 'Sensations and Brain Processes'Jerome Shaffer, Against the Identity TheoryPaul M. Churchland, on Eliminative Materialism (Cdn)David Braddon-Mitchell and Frank Jackson, from Philosophy of Mind and CognitionJohn R. Searle, from 'The Myth of the Computer'John R. Searle, from Minds, Brains, and ScienceD. The Problem of ConsciousnessSigmund Freud, on the 'Unconscious'Thomas Nagel, from Mortal QuestionsColin McGinn, on 'The Mystery of Consciousness'Aristotle, from De AnimaGalen Strawson, on 'Cognitive Experience'William James, from 'Does Consciousness Exist?'Friedrich Nietzsche, on the 'Genius of the Species'William Seager (University of Toronto, Scarborough), 'Panpsychism' (Cdn) (Newly commssioned)5. Self and FreedomA. Consciousness and the Self: From Descartes to KantRene Descartes, from 'Meditation VI'John Locke, on Personal IdentityThomas Reid, from Essays on the Intellectual Powers of ManDavid Hume, on 'There Is No Self'Immanuel Kant, Against the SoulB. Existentialism: Self-identity, Responsibility, and Radical FreedomJean-Paul Sartre, on ExistentialismJean-Paul Sartre, on Bad FaithJean-Paul Sartre, from No ExitJean-Paul Sartre, on -Absolute Freedom-Alia Al-Saji, 'Sartrean Freedom and Bad Faith: Social Identities and Situations' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)Fyodor Dostoyevski, from 'The Most Advantageous Advantage'C. One Self? Any Self? Questioning the Concept of Personal 'Essence'Robert Louis Stevenson, from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (New)Hermann Hesse, from SteppenwolfFrom The Questions of King Milinda (New)From The DhammapadaLao-zi, from Dao De JingD. Fatalism and KarmaSophocles, from Oedipus the KingKeiji Nishitani, on FateE. PredestinationSt Augustine, from On Free Choice of the WillMohammad Iqbal, from The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in IslamF. DeterminismPaul Henri d'Holbach, from System of NatureRobert Kane, on IndeterminismJohn Stuart Mill, on Causation and NecessityDavid Hume, on Causation and CharacterRoderick Chisholm, from 'Human Freedom and the Self' (New)PART FOUR: THE GOOD AND THE RIGHT6. EthicsA. Moral PhilosophyA.R.C. Duncan, from Moral Philosophy (Cdn) (New)B. MoralitySt Augustine, from On FreedomC. Is Morality Relative?Gilbert Harman, from 'Moral Relativism Defended'D. Egoism and AltruismPlato, from The RepublicE. Are We Naturally Selfish? A DebateMencius, on Human Nature: Man Is GoodXun-zi, from 'Human Nature Is Evil'Joseph Butler, Against EgoismF. Morality as Virtue: AristotleAristotle, from The Nicomachean Ethics (New)G. Beyond Aristotle: Happiness, Human Nature, and PerfectionismJean Vanier, from Made for Happiness (Cdn) (New)Christine McKinnon (Trent University), from Character, Virtue Theories, and the Vices (Cdn) (New)Thomas Hurka, from 'The Well-Rounded Life' (Cdn) (New)H. Morality and Sentiment: Hume and RousseauDavid Hume, on 'Reason as Slave of the Passions'Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from EmileI. Morality and Practical Reason: KantImmanuel Kant, from Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of MoralsJ. UtilitarianismJeremy Bentham, from An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and LegislationJohn Stuart Mill, from UtilitarianismK. The Creation of Morality: Friedrich Nietzsche and ExistentialismFriedrich Nietzsche, on 'Morality as Herd-Instinct'Friedrich Nietzsche, on 'Master and Slave Morality'Friedrich Nietzsche, from Thus Spoke ZarathustraFriedrich Nietzsche, from Beyond Good and EvilJean-Paul Sartre, from Existentialism as a HumanismChristine Daigle (Brock University), 'Nietzsche and Sartre on the Creation of Morality' (Cdn) (Newly commissioned)L. Ethics and GenderSusan Sherwin (Dalhousie University, Emerita), from 'Ethics, Feminism, and Caring' (Cdn) (New)M. Ethics in the Modern AgeCharles Taylor (McGill University), from The Malaise of Modernity (Cdn) (New)Margaret Somerville (McGill University), from The Ethical Imagination (Cdn) (New)7. JusticeA. The Problem of JusticePierre Trudeau, on 'The Just Society' (Cdn) (New)B. Two Ancient Theories of Justice: Plato and AristotlePlato, from The RepublicAristotle, from The Nicomachean EthicsC. Two Modern Theories of Justice: David Hume and John Stuart Mill on Utility and RightsDavid Hume, on 'Justice and Utility'John Stuart Mill, from UtilitarianismD. The Social ContractThomas Hobbes, from LeviathanJean-Jacques Rousseau, from The Social ContractE. Classical Conservatism: Tradition and AttachmentEdmund Burke, from Reflections on the Revolution in France (New)W.L. Morton, from 'Canadian Conservatism Now' (Cdn) (New)Michael Oakeshott, from 'On Being Conservative' (New)F. Two Contemporary Theories of Justice: John Rawls and Robert NozickJohn Rawls, from 'Justice as Fairness'Robert Nozick, from Anarchy, State, and UtopiaG. Socialism: Equality and CommunityG.A. Cohen, from 'Why Not Socialism?' (Cdn) (New)Tommy Douglas, 'Mouseland' (Cdn) (New)H. Justice or Care: A Feminist PerspectiveCheshire Calhoun, from 'Justice, Care, Gender Bias'I. Individual Rights and FreedomFrom the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Cdn) (New)John Locke, from The Second Treatise on Government (New)Michael Ignatieff, from The Rights Revolution (New)John Stuart Mill, from On LibertyJ. Obeying the Law: Civil Disobedience and AnarchismHenry David Thoreau, on 'Civil Disobedience'George Woodcock, from Anarchism (Cdn) (New)K. Multiculturalism and RacePierre Trudeau, from 'Multiculturalism' (Cdn) (New)Will Kymlicka, from Finding Our Way (Cdn) (New)Charles Taylor, 'The Other and Ourselves (Cdn) (New)Phil Fontaine, from 'Modern Racism in Canada' (Cdn) (New)

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"The accessibility of the text is quite good; the connecting and explanatory materials are at no point dumbed down, yet they are very clear." --Kent Peacock, University of Lethbridge